This will help to come up with a solution to remedy the issue. Afterward, the inspector will recommend a course of action. Part one of the plan is solving the moisture problem. The home inspector may have discovered the source a leaky roof, for example or further investigation may be needed. Without solving the moisture problem, removing the mold is pointless because it will just grow back over time. If the mold does not affect a large area, you may be able to handle the cleanup yourself.
If it contaminates a larger area, a mold remediation specialist is recommended. The professionals will have the proper safety gear and equipment to perform the job safely and properly. Larger houses might cost a bit more, and extra charges may be applied if the inspector needs to perform more sampling.
These costs normally include the inspection and pre-determined sampling. Additional sampling would incur additional fees.
The cost of mold inspection can vary based on the size and age of the house, as well as location of the home. Larger homes will cost more to inspect, but full-service home inspectors who offer mold inspection and mold testing often have package options available.
With a package, homeowners and homebuyers can bundle multiple home inspection services together for a discounted price. If you have questions about the cost of a mold inspection for your home, or packages, contact your local home inspector to learn more.
Some states require the seller to provide full disclosure about any mold or water damage in the house if you ask. You can click here to find a WIN Home Inspection expert near you , and one of our expertly trained home inspectors can assist you. Alternatively, call or email us at inquiry wini. What is Mold? Why is Mold Inspection Important? Types of Mold in the Home Mold forms in many different colors, and regardless of the color or type, you want it removed from your home.
To my relief, there was not major concern and David offered suggestions for me to remedy myself If services are ever needed in the future, I would not hesitate to give Moldman a call.
Thank you! So why should you choose Moldman? What separates us from our competition? We are going to tell you something right away about mold inspections and mold testing that is going to make almost every other mold company and mold inspector squirm. Most other mold companies will not reveal the following, but we have been doing so for years because it is our mission to get good factual information about mold out there to combat all the misinformation and fiction that dominates our industry.
If you already see obvious, visible mold, you usually do NOT need a mold inspection or mold testing — you simply need to remove it following industry standard guidelines as we discuss below.
There are many cases where a mold inspection and mold testing IS a good idea, and we discuss these below. We also discuss why home mold tests that you can buy at hardware stores are a waste of money.
Obviously not. Of course, there are some companies and individuals who are truthful, and we commend them, but they are sadly few and far between and drowned out by the others. Secondly, once you already see obvious, visible mold, knowing what type it is is usually irrelevant because at this point, you or a mold professional simply need to get rid of the mold following proper Mold Remediation and Mold Removal Principles.
In fact, once visible mold is present, the same Mold Remediation Principles referenced above are followed to remove it regardless of the color, species, etc. Here is what the Environmental Protection Agency says verbatim:. Is sampling for mold needed? In most cases, if visible mold growth is present, sampling is unnecessary.
Surface sampling may be useful to determine if an area has been adequately cleaned or remediated. Sampling for mold should be conducted by professionals who have specific experience in designing mold sampling protocols, sampling methods, and interpreting results. Source: EPA. But this fact is beside the point and underscores why testing for mold is a waste of time and money.
It might seem like testing for mold when none is visible is a good policy. Tiny quantities of mold in your home could still be causing damage to your health, right? As discussed above, mold is a natural part of the environment, and our bodies are mostly designed to cope with spores in small quantities.
However if you or are experiencing health related issues, have ruled out other causes for the symptoms you are experiencing, and it was advised by a medical professional to be a cause of your symptoms, then we would strongly suggest to make the investment of testing your home. By contrast, if mold is visible, then it probably is churning out sufficient nasties to make it worth cleaning up.
It might be hard to swallow the idea that mold testing is, in most cases, superfluous, but the EPA supports the concept. Nobody has yet done the science to determine the level of mold exposure which an average person can tolerate without suffering any adverse health consequences.
The fact that there are no guidelines is interesting. It suggests that there is a lack of proper research in the area and that the real consequences of mold on health are difficult to quantify. But is black mold as harmful as many people in the mold testing industry claim?
The truth is that many of the , species of mold are black, and many of them are entirely harmless. Some non-black molds are highly detrimental to health. Keep in mind that mold may also grow in places you cannot see, such as in your ducts or between your walls.
It may also form colonies so tiny they escape the eye. A few situations should make you look for any mold problems in your house. If you are researching mold, you might come across different services and costs that list both mold inspection and mold testing. Mold inspection simply identifies the presence of mold and generally defines the size of the problem, usually in square footage.
Mold testing attempts to identify what specific type of mold is in your home and how many mold spores are in the air. However keep in mind the following:. Mold inspection is, for the most part, a visual inspection of a house. Some mold inspectors may use cameras. A moisture meter might also be useful in determining if a particular area is wet, especially after remediation. A typical mold inspection involves the inspector talking to the property owner about any areas where they have seen mold, or where there have been moisture problems or water damage in the past.
The inspector will go over the house thoroughly, looking in places known to be prone to mold growth. If there is a chance mold is growing in an inaccessible space, the inspector may have to damage a section of drywall or remove paneling to get a better look.
If mold is detected, the inspector will try to find the source of the moisture that is causing the mold and talk to the homeowner to develop a remediation plan. In some municipalities, mold inspectors must have a license or certification.
Always look for a contractor with experience in mold inspection and mold remediation. Both the EPA and experts like Moldman suggest that a mold inspection is unnecessary if you can see mold. You can move right to the remediation step. You do not need to pay a professional inspector to tell you what you already know. However, the remediation process will generally involve the contractor determining the extent of the problem, which is effectively a mold inspection.
There are two main factors that affect the cost of a mold inspection: the size of the house being inspected and whether or not the inspector has to remove or destroy parts of the property, such as drywall or paneling, to complete the inspection.
Quite simply, a large house with a lot of square footage is going to cost more to inspect because the inspection is going to take longer. The cost of mold inspection can vary slightly from region to region, but the difference is generally pretty small.
In fact, you are just as likely to find wider variations from one contractor to another in the same region. As a rough guideline, a mold inspection costs about the same as a regular home inspection, the kind that is done when you purchase a new home. Keep in mind that these costs are for inspection only and do not necessarily include testing. Skipping the unneeded mold testing can save you some money. Some contractors that specialize in mold remediation will do a mold inspection for free, though they will obviously hope to be hired for the remediation itself.
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